It took Djokovic four French Open finals to win his first. After the match, he was asked what went through his mind on championship point, and he talked about his “connection” with the people at Roland Garros. There it was—that desire for love. Only this time he had it. The crowd had chanted “Nole, Nole” and cheered every shot. He heard it. During the final game, he stopped and looked around, listening. He lifted his arms and exhorted the crowd.

There were a few tense points in the final games. He couldn’t close it out while serving at 5-2 in the fourth, and then lost two championship points while serving at 5-4. He looked visibly nervous. And then he relaxed. You could see it. He was no machine.